


We All Scream for Ice Cream

by AngelWilliams



Category: Game Grumps
Genre: AU, Awkward Flirting, Awkwardness, Crushes, Dirty Jokes, Fluff, Ice Cream, Ice Cream Parlors, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-22
Updated: 2016-06-22
Packaged: 2018-07-16 14:08:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7271401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelWilliams/pseuds/AngelWilliams
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Also, any toppings? Unless you totally want to be boring like always and just get the same thing. Sprinkles? Nuts?”</p><p>“Nah, but I’ll eat <em>your</em> nuts.”</p><p>In which Dan works at Arin's favorite ice cream shop, and Arin has no brain to mouth filter whatsoever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	We All Scream for Ice Cream

**Author's Note:**

> prompt fill for a bud on tumblr that i once again liked a lot.

If there’s one thing Arin loves, it’s ice cream. It’s impossible to not love it when you live in LA right smack in the middle of a heat wave.

Well, saying it’s impossible is probably an exaggeration. Though, Arin imagines that it’s kind of rare. It was the perfect way to cool off on a hot summer day, the cold, delicious sweets were just so satisfying to eat when you felt like you were going to melt into a miserable, boiling puddle on the ground.

However, his positive feelings for the cold treat were not the only reason Arin found himself frequenting an ice cream shop that sat only a few minutes away from his small apartment. No, the second and probably more relevant reason for that was much hotter, ironically enough.

That reason’s name is Dan.

Arin doesn’t know his full name, because all it says on his name tag is Danny. Last names don’t really come up that often in casual conversation, surprisingly enough. Dan works at the ice cream shop on a regular basis, and Arin would be the biggest liar on earth if he said his interest wasn’t piqued.

He was thin, all long limbs and sharp bones, with bright brown eyes that looked almost hazel in direct sunlight, and he had the craziest mane of hair Arin had ever seen. It was so damn poofy, and Arin found his mind drifting away to thoughts of touching it whenever he saw the man. Was that weird? Probably. But it didn’t change the fact that Arin wanted to do it. His quiet fantasies involving Dan were either completely sappy or extremely filthy; there was no in between.

His friends always had fun teasing him about his little crush. Suzy and Ross were the worst, sometimes offering to accompany him on a trip to the shop just so they could watch Dan and Arin talk and quietly giggle, making comments all the while. Suzy constantly brought up dating and how cute they would be together, though Ross was insistent on the fact that they were going to fuck sooner or later. Arin usually just flushed and waved them both off, because he was certain that neither of those things were ever going to happen between him and Dan, as much as he wanted them to, deep down inside.

Though, it wasn’t like Arin’s affection was _completely_ one-sided, which made everything more confusing. At least, that’s how it felt to Arin and anyone else who witnessed the two interact. If anything, the attraction Arin felt towards Dan began purely _because_ of how flirty Dan got around him whenever he happened to visit the shop. He could never tell if Dan was legitimately flirting with him or just being friendly.

Dan had a habit of using a bunch of stupidly affectionate pet names to refer to Arin in conversation, to the point where Arin feels like he’s got a list of them just waiting to be used. He could expect a “Sup, big cat” or “Hey, baby girl” or maybe even a “The usual, baby bear?” out of nowhere while they were talking. It never fucking failed. Dan did it one damn time, probably by accident, and Arin didn’t correct him, so now he just does it regularly. However, Arin doesn’t want him to stop doing it. Even if he doesn't want to admit it, it just feels natural somehow. He's fond of it.

They’d talked enough that Dan does know Arin’s name and a little about him. Even so, Arin didn’t know much about Dan except he was in college, and he was in a band. Other than that, it had been purely small talk. Sometimes it was just playful banter, almost flirtatious, and other times it was a little more serious, the two talking about what was going on in their respective lives and how they were feeling. Arin could sense a weird closeness when he talked to Dan, they always spoke as if they were old friends and not like two random people who had known each other for maybe a couple of months, give or take. Either way, the small conversations he held with Dan when he dropped by were never enough. It still left Arin coming back way too much for his fix. His fix of ice cream, and his fix of Dan. One more than the other, obviously.

Today is no different. The temperature in Glendale had skyrocketed once again, and Arin was a sweaty and aggravated mess because of it. Which meant there was only one thing left to do.

Yep. It was time to go see Dan.

…And get ice cream. Yeah. That’s what he meant. Ice cream. That’s the thing he wants.

The bell jingles as Arin opens the door to the shop and walks in, breathing a sigh of relief as the cool air of the conditioner hits his heated skin. It’s bliss. Part of Arin wishes he could just stand here forever because the air conditioner is always so refreshing.

But alas, he had more important things to do. Namely, to get ice cream. He spots Dan’s crazy head of hair almost immediately, of course he’s working today, and the second Dan spots him too, there’s a big and absolutely _elated_ smile spreading across his face that makes Arin’s heart pound a little quicker.

Oh, he had it _bad_.

“Hey, Ar!” Dan greets cheerfully once Arin approaches the counter, long fingers drumming absentmindedly at the cold surface, and Arin smiles back at him.

“Oh, hey Dan. What’s up?”

“Work, as you probably guessed. It’s always so cold in here…” Dan shivers, hands rubbing at his exposed arms, and Arin raises an eyebrow.

“Dude, what? How are you not happy in here?” Arin questions, tone skeptical. If he had to stay in here as long as Dan, the temperature definitely wouldn’t something he complained about. Not even a little. “It’s fucking steaming outside!”

Dan just shrugs in response. “I’m always cold. Well, I mean if I was outside I probably wouldn’t be cold… Anyway, here for some ice cream?”

“Mhm,” Arin nods, though he can’t stop the sass that’s just aching to spill out of his mouth. “What else would I be here for, Daniel?”

“I don’t know, maybe to see me?” Dan suggests, smirking playfully.

Arin’s face heats up. That smirk looks way too nice playing on Dan’s lips, in his opinion. But that's a thought for another time. “No, of course not. That’s like…the _last_ reason I’d be here.”

“Ouch. That’s so cold, big cat.” Dan feigns offense, a hand flying to his chest as he gasps exaggeratedly, and Arin can’t help but smile at the action. Also, Dan is starting with the pet names again. Dan used big cat very often, so Arin guesses it’s his favorite one. He’s going to have to ask Dan where the hell he comes up with these at some point.

“Not as cold as the ice cream you’re supposed to be scooping,” Arin fires back, enjoying this banter of theirs a little too much. “You totally suck at your job.”

“Apparently not, because you still come here every day,” Dan quickly replies, expression shifting from playful to smug.

“Not every day, I do have a life, for your information,” Arin tells him matter-of-factly.

“Every day I’m here, at least. I rarely go a day without seeing your face. Not that _I’m_ complaining.” Dan finally picks up the ice cream scoop and walks over to the side where the countless vats of ice cream are, meeting Arin’s gaze again. “So, what do you want? What you usually get?”

“Yeah,” He says with a nod. “Also, you shouldn’t be so cocky about me coming here; you’re clearly worse since you actually remember what I always get, down to a T.”

“What? That doesn’t make any sense, how the hell is that my fault? You’re always here, and you get the same thing, of course I remember it!” Dan’s eyes are trained down as he leans over and starts scooping the cold treat into a cone with obviously practiced movements. “Also, any toppings? Unless you totally want to be boring like always and just get the same thing. Sprinkles? Nuts?”

“Nah, but I’ll eat _your_ nuts,” Arin blurts out, and what, _no_ , that was supposed to stay in his head and not come out of his mouth. His mouth did not get permission from his brain to say that, further demonstrating his absolute lack of a brain to mouth filter. He’s the type of person to say what he’s thinking right when he’s thinking it, even when he doesn’t _want_ to say it, and that’s going to end up being the death of him. The flush he could already feel tingeing his cheeks just burns hotter, immediate regret and embarrassment washing over him.

Dan stops cold, arm freezing mid-scoop as his gaze flickers up to Arin’s face, and it makes Arin nervous because he can’t quite read the expression present on Dan’s face. It’s not exactly blank, there’s clearly something there, but Arin isn’t sure what that _something_  is. Arin can’t tell if he feels sweaty because of the nerves or the still lingering heat on his skin from the scorching sun outside, but regardless the heavenly air conditioner is doing nothing to help his condition. Not this time.

It’s silent for a few more moments before Dan bursts out into laughter, the giggles and tiny squeaks shattering the sudden silence, and Arin inwardly breathes a sigh of relief. Okay, Dan is laughing, that’s good. But it’s also _not_ good, because Dan’s laugh may be one of the best things he’s ever heard in his life, and suddenly Arin feels the need to hear it forever. He’s heard Dan chuckle or snicker at something one of them said, but Arin has never witnessed him laugh this much, or this hard before. He tries to commit the sweet sounds to memory because nothing quite like it has ever graced his ears, but deep down he knows that that won’t be enough.

“Oh my god, I can’t believe you,” Dan sputters out once he stops laughing, finishing the scoops he started making and handing the finished cone to Arin. “Anyway, here you go.”

“Thanks.” Arin digs into his pocket and pulls out a couple of bills, not bothering to count them because right now he just wants to sit down, eat his ice cream, and wallow in his shame on the other side of the room in peace. Of course, he refuses to just leave the shop with his metaphorical tail between his legs like a rational person might after saying something so ridiculous. No one ever said that Arin was rational.

“Um, I think you gave me too—”

“Just keep the change,” He quickly answers, cutting Dan off as he moves away from the counter to go sit at one of the many tables in the room. He mostly toys with his phone and looks out the window as he eats, but he occasionally peeks over to see what Dan is up to, catching the employee cleaning the counter at one point, and serving another customer at the next. The shop is oddly empty today, only a handful of people inside with their own ice cream or shakes. Huh.

Finally, after what feels like a while, Arin finishes his cone and stands up from the table, stretching before he makes his way to the door. He calls out to get Dan’s attention, and when the man looks up at him he lifts a hand in a sort of half wave to tell him he’s leaving. He would normally linger around for longer, mostly to talk to Dan more, but he’s already made himself look dumb, he might as well leave for the day before he does something else stupid in front of him. 

“Wait, Arin!” Just as Arin starts to turn around to open the door, Dan calls him, and he’s quick to turn back around, eyebrows raised.

“What?”

“I think, uh…I think you dropped something when you paid,” Dan explains, seemingly anxious for whatever reason, and Arin can see he’s holding something. It’s a piece of paper, folded up and kind of crumpled. Arin calmly walks back up to the counter, taking the paper from Dan’s outstretched hand as his eyebrows furrow in confusion. He’s confused mostly because he doesn’t _remember_ having anything else in that pocket, nor does he remember taking anything else besides the money out, but who knows. He was in enough of a hurry to pay, and maybe the paper was in there after all? Arin was never the most organized person, so it's plausible.

“Oh…thanks. Anyway, I’ll see you later,” Arin says, and Dan nods once, smiling lightly as he mutters a quick “see ya” in return. As Arin makes his way to the exit yet again, he decides to open up the paper because he really doesn’t remember what’s on it at all, and he stops dead in his tracks once he reads the words scribbled on it. There’s a phone number, along with a little message, written hastily in pen.

_If you’re serious about that offer, give me a call. Actually, even if you aren’t, still give me a call. Because I don’t want you to think this is just me trying to get blown, because it’s not. But I mean, if that’s what you want to do I’m more than okay with that. You know what, this is a damn mess, I’m gonna stop writing now. Just fucking call me._

_Smooth_ , Arin’s mind quips as he continues to look over the paper. Dan had signed it as “Danny” with a little smiley face next to it, and it’s so cute and dorky that Arin can’t fight the small grin spreading across his face. He dares to take a glance back at Dan, and he notices Dan is staring directly at him. Dan winks when he notices Arin looking at him, but his cheeks are a rosy pink and he doesn’t look so confident.

The grin on Arin’s face grows wider, seeing Dan look sort of unsure gives him an odd confidence, so he blows a kiss in Dan’s direction, eating up the surprised, flustered look that appears on his features. Arin quickly exits the shop after that, the small, tinkly bell ringing yet again as he leaves behind a wide-eyed and red-faced Dan.

The only thing Arin’s mind can hope to focus on is how cute he thinks Dan is, and how Dan’s lips and skin probably taste just as sweet as the ice cream he sells, if not sweeter.

He really has to call Dan when he gets the chance.

**Author's Note:**

> My [Tumblr.](http://grouchycouchy.tumblr.com)


End file.
